The JeskyBera Blog is the writing home of Jessica Ribera.

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Mar 27 More Yoga/ Active Birth Prep Excitement

After that feast of photos from the last post, now you get a boring just-what's-on-my-mind post. Sorry! Maybe I'll have Brendan take some yoga pictures next time he's home while I'm practicing, so you can have a visual aid for this post :)

Yes, I'm loving the yoga stuff. I know I've written about it a lot already, but you have yet to hear my report about the dvd I purchased from the Seattle Holistic Center. It's good! It's pretty easy, but I am glad to have something to pace me and sort of explain the imagery and benefits as I practice. I'm seriously considering making myself a cd or something so that I can have my own specialized guide through my own specialized routine. I've added lots of Pilates based exercises to my list of yoga stuff as well as my physical therapy exercises for my lower back. I'm hoping to get some PT stuff to do for my stinkin' rib cage too because it's really bothering me. I'm pretty certain that one of my ribs is out of place.

The more I read about active birth the more excited I am getting to try it. Now, I understand quite well that things don't always go the way you expect and that I shouldn't have unrealistic expectations for myself or Spud. So, don't worry about that! Meanwhile, I'm happy to just feel hopeful about a best case scenario while emotionally accepting the possibility of a worst case. I feel like I'm getting ready for a performance. I LOVE that I can rehearse everyday with Spud for his big debut! It has been extremely difficult for me to find a rhythm of taking care of myself through exercise all these years since I stopped dancing. I was able to ride a wave of leftover being in good shape for a few years, and I did have to be good about keeping up on my pt exercises. But, other than that, I've just felt like, "what's the point?" I have good genes and eating habits, so I don't worry about my weight, a reason many people can cling to for continuing an exercise program. Ballet sort of ruined having a pure love for fitness for me. With ballet, there is always a goal: an audition, a part, a job, more rotations on your turns, higher legs, higher jumps, a more beautiful performance, and on, and on. Having a strong, thin body is more like a pleasant (and necessary) side effect rather than a central goal when you're pursuing a professional career in dance. So, now, it's amazing to finally have a new purpose for my movements that's about something positive (a healthy birth and baby) rather than about something negative ("if I don't do these exercises, my back will hurt more").

Spud is being such a fun little guy. He kicks a lot, and I can always tell if he's asleep or awake at a given moment. This is a little cheesy and maybe a little too new-agey for some, but I also am certain that my practicing my breathing and mindful rest is helping me to have a new awareness of what Spud is doing in there. I feel really bonded with him because so much of each of my days is about him. I eat what would be best for him. I exercise for him. I pray for us. I definitely feel inspired to keep working to be healthy for him. Even after he's born, I think that having clearer goals for my physical maintenance will continue. I'll want my old body back, once he's born. And, then, I'll be ready to make sure I'm in shape for subsequent pregnancies. Of course, we'll see how things actually turn out!

Ok, last little thing for those interested in my food habits recently:I recently had a conversation about crock pot meals, and a friend mentioned that it's hard to make chicken any good in the crock pot. So, this week, I had some chicken and thought I'd see what I could do. I came up with a Carribean salsa chicken dish in the crock pot that was super good. I put chicken (breasts, but I think anything would work), frozen pineapple chunks, and homemade salsa (tomatoes, jalepeno, red onion, lime, cilantro, s&p) in there on high for 2 hours. At that point, I used forks to sort of shred and break up the chicken and stirred in some cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken the sauce. Then I let it go on low until we were ready to eat... probably another hour and a half. I served it with black beans (with garlic, salt, and cilantro) and Spanish rice. I topped it all with sliced avocado and a spoonful of sour cream. It was a successful chicken in the crock pot attempt! I might pull it out the next time I have to feed a bunch of people.